Tom Hayden: Is Feingold the next Dean or Wellstone?

[Cocoa]

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0825-20.htm

<snip>

Feingold acknowledges that he is "considering" a presidential run in 2008, but is far from decided. Most of the party's elites, and a considerable portion of its base, are loyal to Hillary Clinton who takes a hardline hawkish position on Iraq despite polls showing 85 percent of Democrats see the war as mistaken.

The Feingold factor may begin to realign Democratic thinking at a time when the Cindy Sheehan crusade has fired up the grass roots. Incumbent politicians will return to Washington in September when exit strategy hearings are scheduled for Sept. 15, followed by massive protests and lobbying Sept. 24-26. Feingold believes that many Democratic officials will be "asking themselves how to do something against the war" in September. Already, for example, former Sen. John Edwards has begun the re-positioning process by his wife's moving letter to Cindy Sheehan.

<snip>

The strongest moment in Feingold's Town Hall speech came at the end when, struggling with genuine emotion, he spoke of his 25-year old daughter in London. He wanted her to go as far as possible in life, he said, and "always be welcomed as an American, which any parent should want for their child."

Feingold's effort is a work in process. But already he has ended the silence of the Senate and aligned himself with the grass roots majority. Beyond his Iraq initiative, Feingold represents an attractive, progressive profile in courage on other issues. He consistently opposes his colleagues on trade agreements that lack enforceable worker and environmental protections. He was the only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act. He has opposed the death penalty for many years. He fights to reclaim the label "patriot" from the right-wing. He comes from a state with a long history of populism, labor struggles, and isolationism capable of producing both reactionary and progressive populists. He has the qualities of a new Paul Wellstone.

[ChiciB1]

1. More Power To Him...

At least he isn't hiding behind some chair!!

Go RUSS!!!

[Cocoa]

3. over my head...

hiding behind a chair?

[ChiciB1]

13. Nothing Too Deep Here....

I was just making a reference to how "wimpy" the Democrats see,. No backbone, sitting on their butts, hiding behind chairs. Whatever euphemism you choose.

The door is open, they need to CHARGE!!!

[Wabbajack]

2. He's always been in the Wellstone mold

[cascadiance]

8. He was one of only a few that voted against the Telecomm Act too!

That gave us the mess of a media monstrosity we have today with the Clear Channels, Sinclairs, etc. of the world.

The only other folks to vote against that bill in the Senate were:
Patrick Leahy (still kickin!)
Paul Simon (now retired)
Paul Wellstone (RIP sir!)
John McCain (only sane Rethug on this issue then)

That bill also included the unconstitutional Communications Decency Act, yet another abridgement on our civil liberties, that he's continued to fight for with his fighting against the Patriot Act.

He's my choice now for prez!

[blm]

4. This is why I am still perplexed why Feingold won't sign the DSM letter of

inquiry.

He really would make some news and bring the DSM back into the spotlight if he signed onto it now.

I'm hoping Feingold and even Hagel decide to sign it as soon as Congress gets back.

[never_get_over_it]

14. Is there a DSM letter of inquiry

in the Senate I thought it was in the House Maybe there is one in both places but the only one I've heard of is Barbara Lee's

and is Russ Feingold the one Senator who voted against the original Patriot Act - I would have thought Wellstone would have voted against it - but he didn't

[blm]

16. Kerry has a letter of inquiry to Senate Intel Committee. 9 senators signed

on to it a few months ago and alot of us expected Feingold would sign on, too. Sen. Pat Roberts is sitting on it and doesn't want it investigated at ALL.

It would help bring DSM back into the news if he did it now.

[Cha]

5. Sometimes I think of dianne when I see

"Feingold" and was wondering.."what's he on about?" Did dianne feinstein change her stripes? Nah!

It's Feingold! Good for Russ..we need him out there speaking his mind on American policy.

And DUers weren't the only one who noticed John Edwards' "repositioning with his wife moving letter to Cindy Sheehan"!

[FlemingsGhost]

6. Yikes! ... Dean and Wellstone in the same sentence?

Surely it's being used for contrast, right?

[whalerider55]

7. I'll say this for him...

he seems to have outgrown his belief that the president deserves deference when he asks the senatge to approve someone (remember, he was the deciding vote on ashcroft- and if the senate had gone thumbs down- could we have done any worse?).

i always thought that was a crap position for a senator (advise and consent) to take- i thought it, and feingold, abdicated their responsibility.

i'll concede he's grown a little since then in my estimation. but i will still continue to watch him with interest.

whalerider

[BlueIris]

9. Still my top alternate choice for pres, after Kerry. Go, Russ!

We need you.

[never_get_over_it]

15. Well I only hope Feingold

doesn't do what Kerry did if he runs for President. It is my belief that Kerry really distanced himself from the Senator her was for his run for the White House starting with his vote in favor of the Iraq War Resolution. There is no way that a man with his personal history and voting record throughout the years should have voted for that EXCEPT he knew he was running for President. And there is no way the fighter that John Kerry should have given in so easily on the day after the election after raising MILLIONS of DOLLARS to fight election fraud EXCEPT he wanted/wants to run for President in '08.

I've put a fork in John Kerry he is done as far as I'm concerned- he will never get another vote from me so I really hope he doesn't get the nomination. I feel the same way about Clinton, Biden and Lieberman. I like a real Dem to run in '08 not a repunk light.

[HereSince1628]

10. I'd like to see Russ just be MORE RUSS.

He is my favorite Wisconsin senator. I would dearly miss him as one of my senators.

I don't want him to be Wellstone, although I think he is similar in some respects.

I don't think he has the personality to be a Dean and I think it would be grossly unnatural for him to try to assume that role.

Nonetheless I would enjoy having a president with his intellect and sensibility.

[jane_pippin]

11. Russ is good people.

I can't say enough how proud I am to be represented by him. Even when I disagree with his stance, (nothing springs to mind at the moment but it has happened--can't agree with anyone all the time you know), I trust that he's the kind of person who thinks about an issue and makes the decision he thinks is the correct/best decision to make.

And he really does listen to what his constituents have to say. I've gotten the chance talk to him a few times and each time he didn't dismiss what I had to say or act like he was above talking to anybody.

I hope that in my lifetime I'll get to call him President Russ. (President Feingold is to stuffy). :)

[LuckyTheDog]

12. He has the qualities of a new Paul Wellstone.

I had not thought of that before. But I agree. He DOES have the qualities of a new Paul Wellstone - only more polished and more likely to be elected president.
:toast: